In the last quarter of a century, the concept of televised court proceedings has gone from an outlandish idea to an apparently inevitable reality. Yet debate continues over the danger and benefits to the justice system of cameras in the courtroom. Critics contend that television transforms trials into crass theater. Supporters of televised trials maintain that silent cameras portray "the real thing," and that without them judicial reality is filtered through the subjective minds and writings of a finite pool of reporters. This book argues that society gains much more than it loses when trials are open to public scrutiny and discussion. To support this argument, the author presents an analytical history of excessively publicized court cases, from the 18th century to O.J. Simpson, including the 1935 trial of Bruno Hauptmann for the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby and the 1954 trial of Dr. Sam Sheppard, the Cleveland physician whose conviction for the murder of his pregnant wife was reversed on the basis of press interference. The author also presents all available studies on the topic, including findings from all scientific evidence on the impact of cameras on trial practices. To demonstrate the potential of the televised court as a classroom, the book also tells the story of the development of Court TV, which achieves an effective mix of law and communications media. Chapter notes, a subject index, and appended information on camera coverage in the States and a summary of State camera coverage rules by the Radio-Television News Directors Association